Shaheen acknowledges room for improvement ahead of ODI tri-series final against Sri Lanka

Lahore: Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has acknowledged that his team still has room for improvement ahead of the ODI tri-series final against Sri Lanka at Gaddafi Stadium. Speaking through PCB Digital, Shaheen praised the team's collective performance but made it clear that top-order scoring and building long partnerships are the two areas that need work. On paper, Pakistan go into the final as the stronger side. They topped the standings with six points, two more than Sri Lanka, and sealed qualification with a match to spare after three consecutive wins. But that points-table cushion may not reflect the true picture in a one-off final, where a single match carries far more variance than a league table can capture. Pakistan began their campaign with an 87-run win over England and then beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs. That was followed by a tense one-wicket victory in which Shadab Khan's unbeaten century rescued the side. Those three wins showed that Pakistan's lower order can fight under pressure. However, Sri Lanka thrashed Pakistan by eight wickets in the final league fixture. The result came after Pakistan had already qualified, so it may have limited predictive value, but it still exposed weaknesses. A loss by eight wickets suggests the Pakistan bowling attack was not difficult to dismantle, and the top order failed to leave a mark in that game. The captain's comments point in the same direction. Shaheen chose to highlight batting rather than bowling. That suggests he sees Pakistan's principal weakness as the structure of the batting innings, not the penetration of the attack. Pakistan have experienced names in Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha and Shadab Khan. The batting line-up looks strong on paper, but the captain's concern indicates that experience is not translating into runs. An inconsistent top order is the problem most likely to surface in the final. Shadab Khan's unbeaten century in the one-wicket win cuts both ways. It proves the lower order has the confidence to win matches, but it also shows the top order could not close out a chase comfortably. Repeating that rescue act in a final will not be easy. Shaheen himself has been Pakistan's most visible wicket-taking threat with eight wickets in four matches, making him the joint-second leading wicket-taker of the tri-series. The raw numbers look good, but without average, economy or phase-wise data, his overall bowling efficiency cannot be fully judged. His real challenge is the dual workload of captaincy and frontline fast bowling. He must bowl his quota of overs and also make every tactical call, from bowling changes and field placements to pressure-time strategy. In a final, that double burden can affect both stamina and decision quality. He has support in Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Arafat Minhas, giving the side a balanced pace and spin mix. The attack looks strong on paper, but without economy and phase data it is hard to say how effective it has been in the powerplay, middle overs and death overs. The squad includes two wicketkeepers and several all-round options, which gives the team selection flexibility. Yet the drop-off from the first XI cannot be measured with the available data, so bench depth remains an open question. Selection questions also persist. No pitch, weather or dew information is available, making it difficult to decide between an extra seamer and extra spin. Home captains usually prefer a balanced attack, but without a pitch report that remains an assumption rather than a conclusion. Shaheen's captaincy sample is still small. Three straight wins under him are a positive signal, and his willingness to publicly name the team's weakness is a sign of clear internal communication, something many captains avoid before a final. The psychological edge belongs to Sri Lanka, who beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the most recent meeting. Despite finishing below Pakistan, they will arrive believing they can beat the hosts at the same ground. Pakistan, by contrast, carry the confidence of a table-topping run but also the memory of that defeat. The head-to-head record is split. Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs earlier, while Sri Lanka won the latest league meeting by eight wickets. Overall form favours Pakistan; recent momentum favours Sri Lanka. Home support at Gaddafi Stadium could help Pakistan. Shaheen referenced the crowd and hoped for a strong attendance in the final. But home pressure can cut the other way, especially if a fragile top order loses early wickets. ODI cricket divides into three clear phases: the 10-over powerplay, middle-over partnership building and the final 10-over acceleration. Shaheen's concerns touch exactly these phases. If the top order does not score, the powerplay is wasted and pressure builds through the middle. Without partnerships, the acceleration is left to the lower order, and that does not work every time. To win the final, Pakistan need three things: at least one substantial top-order partnership to ease pressure on the rest, disciplined bowling led by Shaheen with both early wickets and control, and composure in the field and in decision-making. Above all, the captain must manage his own double burden. It is also worth remembering that the final will be decided by a single match. Three consecutive wins are a good sign but no guarantee. Equally, an eight-wicket defeat is not proof of a permanent weakness. The real answer will come from which top order holds up under pressure and whose bowling takes early wickets. Overall, this final is closer than the points table suggests. Pakistan have the table-topping status, home conditions and proven resilience; Sri Lanka have the psychological lift of a recent eight-wicket win. Shaheen's admission that improvement is needed reads less like a weakness and more like an honest assessment. The question is how quickly Pakistan can turn that assessment into performance.